


The Dare

by addicted_2_manga



Category: Original Work
Genre: Awkward Crush, Best Friends, Bromance, Crushes, Epic Bromance, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, M/M, Male Friendship, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Secret Crush, Teen Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:14:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25139044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/addicted_2_manga/pseuds/addicted_2_manga
Summary: Meet Liam Scott.Present day, he's the captain of the Shangri-La, a merchant star ship.He has a partner that he's still hopelessly in love with, even after many years.That would be Jareth Dreq [my best friend's original character].Liam and Jareth have known each other since elementary school, but coming together as lovers wasn't as simple as it is in a BL manga.- - - - - - Flashback to High School - - - - - - -Little do they know, but both of them have been crushing on each other for a while now... secretly.Enter Travis Winters, Liam's best friend... practically since birth.Travis is a bit more observant than them both, and he senses that his best friend's crush may not be all that one-sided.Travis has a plan._ _ _ _ _ _And that's how we come to the story of Liam and Jareth's first kiss.
Relationships: Original Male Character/Original Male Character
Kudos: 3





	The Dare

“Daring me to kiss Jareth?” Liam glared at Travis, actually feeling a bit hurt for once. “How is that any different from people getting dared to kiss me? Or when it turns out I’m just the penalty for losing a bet?”

Travis had anticipated the indignation. Instead of backing away, he leaned in closer and smiled patiently. “Because we’re not trying to make a fool out of him.” He winked and patted his friend’s shoulder. Still, the blond eyed him harshly. Travis shook his head in mock exasperation. “Look. Bro.” He gave Liam’s shoulder a squeeze now. “Did I tell you it had to be in public? You really see me going around telling people all about it?” He clucked his tongue disapprovingly. “You know me a lot better than that, Dork. You know what this is? Really?”

Liam met his best friend’s playful gaze and waited with a challenging look. The sly brunet was only too eager to call the other’s bluff. He sat up straight with a smug air. “This is you being a coward and your best friend getting sick of watching you agonise over something simple.”

Liam’s eyes narrowed and he glared at his friend with a half-hearted anger. After a few long moments during which neither of them backed down, the shorter teen finally folded. He realised it was ridiculous for him to feel offended when Travis had just read him like a book. He relaxed his eyes and cocked his head curiously. “What good would it do?”

Travis’ eyes glinted with mischief as he answered in a confident tone. “You’ll have more information than you did before, Mr. I Can’t Just Tell Him. If he pushes you off and never talks to you again because he’s disgusted… well then, you’ll know he’s not into guys, won’t you? And you can move on.”

Liam’s face fell at the suggestion and he began to look a bit devastated. Travis was quick to continue as he gave Liam a soft slap on the bicep. “I’d be here for you, of course. Who knows how to cheer you up better than me, right?”

“And if he doesn’t?” Liam glanced up at his friend hopefully.

“Well,” the well-meaning meddler smirked, “either he’ll kiss back and you two can ride off into the sunset--”

Liam snorted, and couldn’t help but smile. He gave Travis a teasing shove. The impish brunet smiled back and reached up to ruffle Liam’s hair before continuing his thought.

“Or, he’ll think you’re just fooling around and life will move on. I’m just saying. Any reaction that isn’t him decking you or refusing to talk to you again is positive. You’ll know that maybe you have a chance. Right?” Travis wriggled his eyebrows and shot the other one of his most charming smiles. Liam found himself grinning back.

* * * * * * 

It was barely an hour later that Liam found himself on Jareth’s doorstep, waiting anxiously for someone to answer. _‘How did he talk me into this? I can see now how the girls can’t say ‘no’ to him.’_ Liam shook his head and tried to occupy his mind by wondering who would be home. When it was the green-eyed blond himself that pulled the door open, the would-be Romeo’s blood seemed to suddenly run cold, leaving goosebumps all over his skin. He tried to relax the muscles in his face and offer a normal, innocuous expression. “Hey, Jareth. I- uh... “ It occurred to Liam only then that he had not prepared any actual reason to be there, and that he did not have the kind of come and go as family relationship with the Dreq household that he had with the Winters. His eyes widened for a fraction of a second as he stared at the taller teen, scrambling to think of something. Finally, an idea came. “I need to see your Biology notes.” He flashed an imploring smile. “Can I come in?”

Feeding off of Liam’s awkward energy, Jareth stiffly stepped to the side and motioned for the shorter blond to walk in. “Uh… okay. Come on in. I’m the only one home anyway.” He closed the door behind them and watched curiously as Liam slipped out of his shoes and left them by the door. “Make yourself at home.” He led his unexpected visitor into the drawing room and gestured to the couch. “I’ll go get my notes. Why don’t you have a seat?” With that, Jareth turned away and started off in the direction of the staircase.

At first, Liam did as suggested, but he felt too restless to sit still. When his host returned with a notebook under his arm, Liam was standing by the couch, with an unreadable expression. The taller blond arched his brow questioningly, but chose to say nothing. He approached his peer with a growing sense of trepidation and stopped just short of invading the other’s personal space. “Are you okay, Liam?”

Liam’s eyes widened slightly, seemingly in nervousness, and his mouth twitched. He threw his gaze down to the floor and scraped his teeth across his bottom lip. “Uh. Yes. Yes, I’m fine. But…” He forced his azure gaze back up and looked into the same emerald eyes that haunted his mind. His own pupils began to expand rapidly, to give Liam the clearest picture possible of the boy standing in front of him. He licked his lips and took a deep breath. “Actually, Jareth. The real reason I’m here is that…. Umm.” The longer Liam held eye contact, the louder his pulse beat in his ears, until he couldn’t handle the anticipation or the anxiety anymore. Without warning, Liam took a step forward and grabbed onto Jareth’s biceps. Jareth’s notebook fell to the floor and his eyes popped open wide in alarm. His lips pursed instinctively, just a moment before Liam was pressing his own lips against them.

Shocked as he was, Jareth couldn’t keep his eyes open. He let them fall shut and tried his best to keep his body from tensing up, even as his mind raced. _‘He’s kissing me. Liam Scott is kissing me. How is this happening? What do I do?’_ The bewildered blond could feel his classmate gradually relaxing into the kiss and growing more confident. The effect was strong and immediate. Jareth’s frantic thoughts began to slow down, until the only one remaining in his head was _‘I should let myself enjoy it.’_ The tension in his muscles eased up and he eagerly moved his mouth against Liam’s.

An astonished grunt leapt up from Liam’s throat when Jareth unexpectedly relaxed his mouth and returned the kiss. Liam’s fingers twitched and itched with the desire to touch. Without thinking, he moved his right hand up and slid his fingers into his crush’s hair. He cradled the base of the other’s skull and deepened the kiss. Jareth only continued to reciprocate, going so far as to put his hands on Liam’s hips. Liam didn’t notice how they remained there, almost as if Jareth were afraid to make a move. He was too lost in his own experience. His left hand moved now, to rest up against the other teen’s cheek as he pushed his luck further. Liam nipped at the center of his friend’s lower lip, and ran his tongue along it, silently asking permission. It didn’t surprise him this time, when Jareth gave him what he wanted. _‘This feels natural,’_ Liam thought as he playfully pushed against Jareth’s tongue with his own. _‘I’m meant to be kissing him.’_

The grip Liam had on his crush’s hair tightened and he began to pull, mindlessly signaling that he wanted more. He dropped his left hand down to wrap his arm around the other blond’s waist and press their bodies closer together. A stray moan drifted up from Liam’s diaphragm. It was when a matching moan came from Jareth that a sudden surge of panic seized Liam’s mind. His eyes snapped open and he abruptly broke the kiss. He pulled away to throw his wide yet still glazed gaze up into Jareth’s face. _‘Why am I scared,’_ he asked himself. _‘Why don’t I keep going?’_ There was a complete communication breakdown between mind and body as Liam let go of Jareth and slowly backed away. Confusion overtook him as he stared at the taller blond. “I- uh. I’m sorry, Jareth. That was…” Liam reached up and rubbed vigorously at the nape of his neck. He jerked his gaze over towards the door. “Ummm…. I gotta go. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? I’m sorry about that.” He chuckled nervously and left without another word.

Jareth could only watch, perplexed, as the boy who had just kissed him so passionately slunk away as if they’d committed a crime. He stood there a while, even after the front door firmly clicked into place, blinking as he tried to process both what had just happened and how he felt about it.

* * * * * * 

Liam practically jumped into Travis’ arms as soon as the brunet opened his front door. “Okay if I stay with you guys tonight?” He hid his face against his best friend’s neck.

Expecting the worst, Travis patted Liam’s back soothingly as he pushed the door shut. “Why even bother asking? You know you’re practically my brother.” He chuckled and gave the blond a hug. “You’re always welcome here. Now get off me so we can get out of the entryway, Dork.”

Liam nodded against his friend’s neck and pulled away. He dutifully slipped off his shoes and followed Travis up the stairs and to his bedroom.

“So...” Travis shut the door behind himself and crossed over to plop down comfortably onto his bed. He stretched out on his side and watched his guest pace back and forth. “That bad?” The brunet frowned thoughtfully. _‘I could’ve sworn Jareth was bi. He isn’t straight, is he? No way! I’d never have done this if I actually thought Lia-’_

“He kissed back.” Liam blurted out excitedly. He stopped pacing and stood dumbly in the middle of the room, watching his friend.

Travis’ face lengthened in surprise and confusion. “Heeeh,” he exclaimed harshly. “Then… What are you even doing here? Why aren’t you still with Jareth, playing Tonsil Hockey?” He laughed good-naturedly. His tone changed when he noticed how Liam's expression remained grave. “Hey.” He sat up near the head of his bed and patted the mattress. “Come talk to me. What happened?”

Liam’s shoulders slumped as he shuffled over. Instead of sitting next to the other teen, he laid down and rested his head in the brunet’s lap. Acting on muscle memory, Travis rested one hand on his friend’s bicep and gave it a comforting squeeze. His other hand fell into Liam’s hair and he absently twirled the platinum strands around his fingers. Liam let out a long sigh and closed his eyes.

“I got scared,” he admitted softly. “I don’t know why, but I did. It felt good. Too good. And I- it was scary.” Liam bit down on his lower lip and paused, wanting Travis to say something.

“Scared of what, Liam?”

“What if…” Liam struggled to organise his thoughts. “What if it didn’t mean anything to him?”

At that, Travis’ fingers stilled in Liam’s hair. He looked down and regarded his friend’s profile with heavy suspicion. He’d known Liam Scott far too long to take those words at face value. “No, Liam. What were you really scared of?” He gently tugged on the other’s hair, as if to say ‘tell the truth’. He then went back to raking his fingers through Liam’s hair soothingly. “Do you really think Jareth Dreq, of all people, would kiss back if he wasn’t into it? He’s always so serious. He wouldn’t fool around like that.”

Liam sucked on his lower lip and squeezed his eyes shut even more tightly as he attempted to hold back his true feelings. Knowing all too well what was happening, Travis bowed his head and blew a harsh, cool breath into the blond’s ear.

“Fuck!” Liam threw his hand up to cover his ear and reached up with his other hand to pinch Travis’ thigh. “You jerk.” He quickly sat up and gave the brunet a playful shove. “You know I hate that!” He rubbed at the side of his face, alongside his ear.

Travis laughed as he rubbed at the spot Liam had pinched. “Don’t bullshit me.” He poked his guest in the chest. “Tell me what you’re scared of.”

Liam frowned and stared defiantly into the other’s earnest mocha eyes. After a few moments, he sighed heavily and looked up to the ceiling. “Fine,” he muttered. He took a deep breath. “I’m scared…” He looked forward and firmly held Travis’ gaze. “I’m scared that it won’t work out. Then what? You know my relationships don’t last long.” Liam shrugged his shoulders and looked down into his own lap. “I’m not ready. I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready. This way, I can play it off as a prank and we can keep being friends.” His shoulders dropped and he sucked in his lower lip again.

It was Travis’ turn to sigh as he leaned over to wrap his arm around Liam and pull him back in for a hug. “You really like him a lot, huh?” He could feel Liam’s skin heating up as the blond nestled into the crook of his neck for comfort. “You really are hopeless.” He started to rub and scratch Liam’s back. “It’s alright, Bro. Everything will be ok.”

Even as he sat there, comforting his best and oldest friend, Travis couldn’t help but roll his eyes. _‘Yup. I’m dealing with a couple of idiots, all right.’_ He rested his chin atop Liam’s head. _‘I wonder how long these knuckleheads are going to take.’_


End file.
